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Showing posts from August, 2023

Week 2 Videos

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Week 2 Added Working Outside and in More Distraction with Olive, structured on leash walking, and more handling Long Place on Long Line (attached to fence) in Yard with Other Dogs (Cujo Bandit and Shana): Send to Elevated Place in Garage with Door Open: Let's Go in Garage (New Environment): Sit Stays  (now from a distance) and Let's Go Outside in Garage with Olive: Transitional Leash Walk Outside:

Week 2 Transitional Leash Work

  PART 1 WALK AND SIT WITH ME (NO COMMANDS) ON LEASH:    NOTE1:  BECAUSE THIS IS A BEHAVIORAL EXERCISE, COMMANDS ARE NOT USED TRADITIONALLY. NOTE2:  I HAVE ONLY MOSTLY PART 1 WITH LOLA SO FAR. STEP 1:    Make sure you put the transitional leash on correctly for handling your dog with the nose loop on and the safety attached to his collar.   STEP 2:   You can either start walking or start your dog off in a relaxed sit, and then start walking. STEP 3A:   In the very beginning, I stop at the first pressure the dog puts on the leash.   Also in the beginning you usually need to pull up on the leash to get them to sit.  Once the dog relaxes, I will walk again until the next time. STEP 3B:   When the dog has a handle on this concept, I may pull back slightly with my hand on the leash if I feel tension, but the dog is doing pretty okay.   Then I make up either paces or objects to which I will stop and prac...

Week 1 Videos Examples

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  NOTE THAT ALL THE OUTSIDE WORK IS THE START OF WEEK 2 WORK.  ALL WEEK 1 STARTED PRIMARILY INSIDE WITH VERY LITTLE DISTRACTION: Chill Behavioral Exercises: Sit on The Dog Video (outside and other dog distractions is really the beginning of Week 2 Work): Chill Obedience Exercises: Send to Place (Step 2 of Place): Circle Place (Step 3 of Place): Long Place (outside with dog distractions is really the beginning of week 2 work): (Step 4 of Place) Basic Obedience Exercises (these also benefit behavior): Sits First Command with Collar/Leash Correction When Needed (We work towards the goal of three sets of four in a row without needing a correction, and outside work is the beginning of Wk 2 as Wk 1 was done inside with much less distraction): Still Sit Stays on Leash(outside is the beginning of Week 2 work) : Circle Sit Stays on Leash (outside is the beginning of Week 2 work):

Week 1 Behavioral Downs

 STEP 1:  Place flat leash on the ground. STEP 2:  Step on the leash, but you do not want the leash tight on the dog or puppy.    They should be able to stand if they want, but not get too far away from you.  ***Note unlike sit on the dog we are standing, and also we need to start in a really quiet non distracting area first, whereas on sit on the dog you can get away with being in a much more distracting area. STEP 3:  Wait not only for the puppy to go down, but also, you want their chin to rest on the ground.   Additionally, you want them totally relaxed and not sniffing or still actively seeking to check out their environment. STEP 4:  Time how long it takes to 1st Target behavior (total body relaxed and everything on the ground including their chin) and then how long the puppy or dog remains in target behavior. STEP 5:  Once the puppy or dog lifts their head up or engages in the environment again, wait until the second target be...

Week 1 Stay with Distractions

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PROPERTY OF MANNERLY MUTTS DOG TRAINING AND ROBIN RUBIN. WE ONLY ALLOW PAYING CLIENTS TO COPY THIS MATERIAL FOR THEIR USE ALONE. THIS MATERIAL MUST NOT BE DISTRIBUTED TO OTHER NON-CLIENT PARTIES OF MANNERLY MUTTS WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION. NOTE ON STAYS:   DO NOT RUSH THROUGH THIS EXERCISE.   IF YOU STOP AT ONE SECTION, BUT DO THE BEST WORK POSSIBLE THAT IS MOST IMPORTANT.   IF YOU CAME HERE MORE ADVANCED, BUT HAVE TROUBLE AT ONE LEVEL, THEN BACK DOWN TO THE PREVIOUS LEVEL, AND GET THAT DONE CORRECTLY BEFORE MOVING ON.   CORRECTLY GOING ON MEANS THAT THE DOG CAN PERFORM THE TASK WITHOUT TREAT OR CORRECTION FOUR OUT OF FIVE TIMES. Equipment Needed: 6' Leash (to begin with) Training Collar (martingale, metal chain collar, or prong collar) 15' Leash (after four out of five stays while on the move with distractions can be accomplished at more than a 6' distance WITH distractions present) Explanation and Goal of Exercise:  The dog is required to ...

Week 1 Stay Command (the very beginning)

PROPERTY OF MANNERLY MUTTS DOG TRAINING AND ROBIN RUBIN. WE ONLY ALLOW PAYING CLIENTS TO COPY THIS MATERIAL FOR THEIR USE ALONE. THIS MATERIAL MUST NOT BE DISTRIBUTED TO OTHER NON-CLIENT PARTIES OF MANNERLY MUTTS WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION. NOTE ON STAYS:   DO NOT RUSH THROUGH THIS EXERCISE.   IF YOU STOP AT ONE SECTION, BUT DO THE BEST WORK POSSIBLE THAT IS MOST IMPORTANT.   IF YOU CAME HERE MORE ADVANCED, BUT HAVE TROUBLE AT ONE LEVEL, THEN BACK DOWN TO THE PREVIOUS LEVEL, AND GET THAT DONE CORRECTLY BEFORE MOVING ON.   CORRECTLY GOING ON MEANS THAT THE DOG CAN PERFORM THE TASK WITHOUT TREAT OR CORRECTION FOUR OUT OF FIVE TIMES. Equipment Needed: 6' Leash (to begin with) Training Collar (martingale, metal chain collar, or prong collar) Explanation and Goal of Exercise:  The dog is required to perform the position of the command, and stay there until the release word is given.   The handler/owner will be increasing the duration fir...

Week 1 Long Place

  Long place is technically the 4th step in the overall place command:   First step is intro.  Intro is just walking the dog and letting them pass over it.  "Place" is said when all paws are on the place. Second step is teaching the dog to step on the place themselves. Third step is teaching them that there is a boundary they should not step off. Fourth step is beginning to proof and advance this exercise by having them keep themselves on the place for a period of time.   Trainer only gets involved if they try to leave. This teaches your dog that you might very well be in a seated position when they are in a place (while the third step has started the idea that you may be moving around the room).   This is tricky for dogs as they usually want to be petted or cuddled when you take a seat, but it is important that owners have time to read, work, eat a meal, and so on without constantly needing to pay attention to their dog.   Usually ...

Week 1 First Three Steps of Place

   THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE PLACE (STEP 1): STEP 1:   Position your place equipment in the middle of the room. STEP 2:  Start walking your dog around the room. STEP 3:   Walk  with your dog over the place area.   When all four paws are in the place, say "place". STEP 4:   Repeat step three from every angle of the place mat or bed (remember dogs can totally interpret something as "just from this direction", so help them to learn to generalize the command by doing this). STEP 5:  After several (15 or so) repeats of this, stop short of the mat, and see if the dog is ready to step on themselves.   SEND TO PLACE (STEP 2): STEP 1:   You still have a leash and collar on your dog.   The place (board, mat, dog bed) item is in the middle of the room so you can walk around it, and use all sides to place your dog (so that they do not generalize). STEP 2:    Now as you a...

Week 1 Lets Go

I HAVE BEEN DOING A FORM OF THIS, BUT RUNNING BACKWARDS WHEN I SAY LET'S GO, AND SHE HAS NOT BEEN READY TO TAKE FOOD YET.   SO PRAISE AND AFFECTION HAVE BEEN THE REWARD.   ALSO THIS IS ON A 6' LINE NOT A LONG LINE AS YET. Equipment needed: Long Line, Training Collar, Food Reward (if that is what we are working with)   STEP 1:  You will be wanting to hold the end of the long leash for this one. STEP 2:     In the opposite hand, you will want to be holding the food reward. STEP 3:    Let your puppy get distracted.  If they go to the end of the line, just keep constant tension on until they turn towards you.   When they look at you OR they are not putting pressure on the line (in other words distracted but not going to the end of the line and they do not need to be looking at you) say the command "let's go". STEP 5A:   When your puppy starts to come towards you, say "good girl/boy" and then  they get to you give the...

Week 1 How to Train a Loose Leash Article

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  NOTE:  I AM INCLUDING THIS IN HERE, AS I HAVE NOT DONE MY USUAL HEELING TRAINING (PER SAY) WITH OLIVE, BUT VARIOUS STRATEGIES WHEN WALKING HER IN THE DOG ROOM AND THE YARD (IN WEEK 2) TO HAVE HER WALK WITH ME.   IT HAS SO FAR BEEN MORE ABOUT MAKING HER COMFORTABLE ON THE LEASH AND COLLAR MORE THAN A STRICT OBEDIENCE THING YET.  I AM WORKING MORE ON HER BEHAVIOR AND CONFIDENCE LEVEL. I am sorry to inform you, I can't even summarize this in a short article with a quick tip.   That being said, if you are willing to do the work and practice it is not hard.  Loose leash walking is one of the most common things asked for by dog owners.   This is one of the fastest and easiest things to start in dog training, but you do actually have to train and teach your dog how to do it.   It is not going to get better if you try and wait it out (or you will only get there when your dog becomes geriatric).   When first training basic obedience, this is us...

Week 1 Sit with Correction

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PROPERTY OF MANNERLY MUTTS DOG TRAINING AND ROBIN RUBIN. WE ONLY ALLOW PAYING CLIENTS TO COPY THIS MATERIAL FOR THEIR USE ALONE. THIS MATERIAL MUST NOT BE DISTRIBUTED TO OTHER NON-CLIENT PARTIES OF MANNERLY MUTTS WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION. Equipment Needed: 6' Leather Lead Training Collar Explanation and Goal of Exercise: This method of molding the dog into position, teaches the dog to allow our hands to mold and manipulate various parts of their body. The handler is also teaching themselves how to determine if a dog's muscles are relaxed with trust OR tense with distrust. Additionally, it is possible to detect a physical problem by touch as you mold your dog down. This also ready's your dog to sink into a sit readily when given the correction later on (if the correction is even necessary). Hand Drills (practice until your moves can move swiftly through the motions without the handler needing to think about it, before practicing with the dog): Practice these without the do...

Week 1 Sit On The Dog

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Exercise: Sit on The Dog (do not confuse with the down exercise later on) Equipment needed: Metal Training Collar (for puppies a flat collar will due but be sure they can't slip their head out if it's too loose), 6' leather lead, chair for handler to sit on that they aren't too worried about (IE an antique chair would not be a good idea, especially for a dog that might try to chew something other than their toy while you aren't watching, but a good metal folding chair will do), silence which means no verbal commands, praise, or corrections. Also no conversations of any sort with your dog. Objective and Goals: This exercise starts the leadership portion of dog training in a very non confrontational way. You are defining the space and activity that the dog will inhabit while you are engaged in other activities. It starts the process of showing the dog how to quiet themselves down during certain times of day, and employ self control in distracting situations. You are...

Pros and Cons of Having a Small Dog

  Dobermans have been our breed since 1997 or so. They have ranged in weight from 50#s to 110#s. Ziggy came to us after his owner became ill.  Ziggy weighs 5#s plus a little something.  He is our first dog of any other breed (besides our cats, Clyde and Mustache, who were well over 15#s).   Luckily, I am a dog trainer, so I am very familiar with the special problems of smaller breed dogs. Small dogs are awesome and need training just like large dogs to reach their potential.   However, there are special considerations that go into owning and caring for a small dog. The disadvantages of owning a small breed dog:​ First of all,  they can be hurt by any number of things  if you are not careful.   They just do not have the bulk or strength to withstand things many other dogs can.   On the other hand, you don't want them lacking in confidence, adventure, or socialization. Smaller dogs, like Ziggy, can also easily be carried away by predators (bird...